Keith gripped the handle of Blue’s harness as he and Pike rushed into the cool daycare center, content to have some relief from the hot, summer sun. Taking off Blue’s harness, he hung it up in the office. Glancing around, Keith smiled as he directed Pike to the main area. Keith loved his job. He felt as if he had a purpose in life knowing that he was helping not only the parents, but also a group of very special children who sometimes just needed to know that they were loved. He wouldn’t give it up for the world, but there were also times where he hated it, times where he went home more exhausted than ever, times where Lance had to talk him out of quiting. This was one of those moments.
Children ran around the toy crowded room, weaving in and out of the herd of hurrying adults. As parents began to drop off the kids for Keith’s disabled class, Keith directed Pike to take Blue back to the separate classroom, reminding him to remove his shoes before he entered the pillow-padded room.. Keith turned slightly to his left in order to keep Pike in his line of sight just as a parent carried in a grumbling toddler. The dark skinned girl was patting at the woman’s shoulder as she grumbled and grunted. The woman who carried her looked exhausted and at her wits end. She approached Keith with fast, long strides. She huffed a piece of hair out of her face as she basically shoved a bag into his arm. Keith turned to face her fully with a tight lipped smile. The toddler tapped her shoulder at a faster pace. The woman groaned and turned back to the child.
“I can’t get you anything unless you tell me what you want.” The woman grunted out as she shifted the girl further up her hip.. Her statement only seemed to make the toddler more distressed, her grunting became louder as she started to shake her head and hands. The woman sighed heavily as she looked at Keith fully. She pulled her lip up as her well trimmed eyebrow met her hair line. “Here. This is Branda. I signed her up yesterday and the man said you could handle ‘special’ kids.” The woman passed the toddler over, with great care to not actually touch Keith. She looked him over again. “Are you sure you’re capable of taking care of children like her?” The woman asked with disbelief dripping from her voice. Keith struggled to keep up his smile as he took Branda into his embrace with delicate hands.
“This is your daily, friendly reminder to use commas instead of periods during the dialogue of your story,” she said with a smile.
“Unless you are following the dialogue with an action and not a dialogue tag.” He took a deep breath and sat back down after making the clarifying statement.
“However,” she added, shifting in her seat, “it’s appropriate to use a comma if there’s action in the middle of a sentence.”
“True.” She glanced at the others. “You can also end with a period if you include an action between two separate statements.”
Things I didn’t know
“And–” she waved a pen as though to underline her statement–“if you’re interrupting a sentence with an action, you need to type two hyphens to make an en-dash.”
You guys have no idea how many students in my advanced fiction workshop didn’t know any of this when writing their stories.
Reblog to save a life
I love how easy it can be to learn stuff like this through tumblr and not through school.
Ok. I’m tired of the typical vampire, werewolf and fairy.I’m also tired of the occidental-centrism in mythology. Hence, this list.
I tried to included as many cultural variants as I could find and think of. (Unfortunately, I was restricted by language. Some Russian creatures looked very interesting but I don’t speak Russian…) Please, add creatures from your culture when reblogguing (if not already present). It took me a while to gather all those sites but I know it could be more expansive. I intend on periodically editing this list.
Of note: I did not include specific legendary creatures (Merlin, Pegasus, ect), gods/goddesses/deities and heroes.
(I have stumbled upon web sites that believed some of these mythical creatures exist today… Especially dragons, in fact. I just had to share the love and scepticism.)
This is perfect for my latest project ^~^
Idk if it’s stupid or what, but felt like contributing:
OP, Thank you so much for putting this reference together. I’ve been working on an original novel that involves dragons from all over the world, and I’ve been having a hell of a time finding good information on non-European dragons.
All the other information is sure to be helpful for the future, as well, I am sure!
May I contribute: la ciguapa (one of my personal favs)
Now, don’t get him wrong. His boyfriend was the most beautiful man alive, with long, long limbs and caramel brown skin that hugged his muscles and bones tight. But, it wasn’t Lance’s general looks or anything else that made Keith dread seeing Lance without a shirt or pants.
It was the endless span of white scars that covered Lance’s otherwise flawless skin. It was the lines of pass wounds that reminded Keith of all the times he failed. Failed to be better than his enemies. Failed to be a good leader. Failed to protect the ones he loves the most. They told stories of the pain Lance went through. They were permanent reminders of how many times Lance put his life on the line in order to save Keith’s sorry ass. Therefore, Keith hated them…and he hated himself for causing them.
Back:
While Keith knew it wasn’t his fault, he still felt bad about the giant starburst that covered the majority of Lance’s back. Keith just wish he could have done more, could have been there to protect him.
Keith paused mid stride as he walked into the training deck. Lance was running through some basic combat levels with the robots. Lance moved with an unique grace, as if he was dancing around the hits thrown at him. Keith felt his face grow warm as his eyes drifted down to Lance’s slim waist and slightly there abs. It was not until Lance had finished the level and went to whip his face that Keith felt the air leave his lungs. The bottom of his shoulder blades to the top of his hips was covered by a slightly pink, raised scar. The center was solid and the thickest part with lines bursting out of it in multiple directions. Keith didn’t realized that he had moved until his fingers brushed over the mauled skin. Lance gasped before spinning around, fist raised as if to attack. Blue eyes soften when they landed on Keith, who still had his hand raised in front of him.
For those who care, I have decided to divide my content into two blogs. This one, PB’s splintered world, will focus on my writing, art, and other random crap. My other one, Aim.N.Create Cosplay, will focus solely on my cosplay stuff. It will feature tutorials, updates, and photo shoots of my cosplay.
If you guys are looking for some amazing books to read then you NEED to check out A.G Howard. She writes the most hauntingly beautiful stories that could maybe rival Tom Burton on level of creepiness/weirdness, which I love. Her series Splintered was the inspiration for this blog’s name.
Baz lowered himself down to the level of the beast sitting in front of him. Leaning back on his socked feet, he met the black beady eyes that stared at the object in his hand.
“Alright you little mongrel, look at me. Where - is - my - shoe?” Baz held up the one remaining shoe to wave it at the dog. The little Jack Russell Terrier puppy, that Simon brought home two weeks ago, thumped his tail on the ground as his tongue lobbed out of the side of his mouth. Baz growled at the dog as he waved the shoe again. “Where did you hide it? Come on. I’m going to be late for work!” The puppy barked back at him before running back into the bedroom, probable to sneak under the blanket with Simon. Sighing, Baz dropped onto his butt and looked around. He grabbed his cell while grumbling to send a text to his boss, telling him that he would be late due to a less than desirable event at home.
Soft thuds and scurrying clicks sounded from behind Baz as Simon walked out of the bedroom, the puppy ever attached to his ankles. Simon still had a blanket wrapped around his form, and his messy curls somehow seemed even crazier. A soft, half-asleep smile pulled at his eyes as he walked over to Baz, dropping the missing black shoe into his lap.
“I assume that you’re missing this? Jackie dropped it on my face as a morning greeting.” Simon huffed a soft laugh as he bent down to scratch behind Jackie’s ear. The dog barked and jumped up at his hand, bouncing nonstop on his back legs.
“Thanks,” Baz grumbled out as he tugged the shoes on. He pushed himself off of the floor, grabbing his stuff as he walked to the door. Simon followed him to the door, grabbing his arm before he could leave.
“Have a good day,” He breathed out as he leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his lips. Baz hummed into the kiss. Pulling away, he brushed a stray curl out of Simon’s eyes before bidding him and ‘the terror’ goodbye.
~~~~
Simon and Baz were curled up on the sofa, a forgotten movie playing in the background. Simon was happily seated between Baz’s legs, his fingers idly playing with Baz’s as Baz left slow kisses along his neck. Humming, Simon tilted his head to grant Baz more skin to lavish as his hands moved to grip Baz’s thighs. Cold hands drifted up Simon’s shirt as he sank deeper into his lover’s embrace.
Suddenly, high-pitched whining cut through the air, breaking their silent moment. Sighing, Baz hid his face in Simon’s shoulder. The puppy continued to whimper until Simon leaned over and plucked him off of the floor. Baz made eye contact with the furry little cockblock and growled lowly at him.
“Little terror. You wait until we have our first alone time in months to decide you want to sit on the sofa.” Jackie bounded up Simon’s chest to lick at Baz’s face. Grumbling even more, Baz ducked his head behind Simon’s back, hoping to block the relentless attacks.
~~~~
Baz woke with a start, the screams still echoing in his ears. As his breath and heart tried to outrun the other, he could feel the flames of the nightmare licking at his skin. Slowly, he reached over to Simon’s side of the bed, only to feel the cold sheets. Simon probable could not sleep, so he went to his office to work so he would not wake up Baz. Moving his hand up to his face, Baz choked on a sob as he rolled onto his back. A soft whimper was the only warning he received before a warm weight settled on his chest. Startling up, Baz soon noticed that it was only Jackie curling up on him, trying to comfort him. He slowly set his hand on the puppy, petting his short fur. Soon his breathes matched the strokes of his hands and the steady pressure on his chest helped him drift back to sleep.
When Simon finally felt sleep clawing at his mind, he slowly walked into the bedroom, only to find Baz sleeping with Jackie still on his chest (Even if he denied it in the morning.)
When you are such a gay feminist that you are successful in getting a dirt-bag fuck boy to block you because you called him out for using women as “living flesh-lights”.
I would like to say that I miss you but unlike you I’ve formed a habit not to lie.
I am writing this to let you know that I still love— your dogs. Unlike you, they are loyal and understand what the word ‘no’ means.
I also wanted to tell you that you are always on my mind. Haunting me, like an unwanted ghost in a bad horror movie.
I hope you know that you made an impression on me, That even years later I am still asking myself why I dated you.
No one I date will ever measure up to you for you are the biggest ass I have ever met. Nor will anyone ever be just like you, because now I know my own worth and I refuse to let anyone treat me like that ever again.
I guess the only way to say this is— I still hate you.
Oh, one more thing: I hope your friends see you as a real man now, Cause a real man is definitely an unemployed drunk who third-wheels on his married best friend’s dates.
So, I hope to see you around.
Correction.
I hope to never see you again.
~ Signed:The one you took for granted
Decided that i might as well post some of my poetry on here as well. This is a take on a traditional “love letter”, but rewritten to be a “hate letter” for an abusive ex. The italicize is the traditional “love letter” lines and the bold is the “hate letter” continuations of the “love letter” lines.
Pike never felt so much fear in his life then he did in this exact moment. Drawing in a deep breath, Pike clenched his fist as he silently walked into the kitchen. Now was the perfect time. Branda was out with some friends for the time being and his dads were sitting at the table, talking in low voices. He watched their mouths move in their silent duet as he gripped the door frame. His fingers shook as he reached up and knocked on the wood, announcing his entrance. Lance looked and before directing Keith to look over his shoulder. They both smiled at him as he entered the room.
‘Hey, how was school?’ Lance asked with his free and Pike let his gaze drift down to his dads’ intertwined fingers with a bittersweet smile. Part of him wanted what they had, while another part was focused on his current plan.
‘Good.’ He replied as he slid into a seat where they both could see him. Keith’s good eye drifted across the teen’s face before signing with a furrowed brow.
‘What’s wrong?’ Lance glanced over at his husband before looking back at Pike.
‘Nothing.’ Pike tried to shrug him off, knowing that he was failing. He was just as bad of a liar as his biological dad. Keith raised his scarred brow at him, letting him know that his answer would not do.
‘You seem worried.’ He pressed on. ‘Is something bothering you?’ Lance’s grip on Keith’s hand tightened, fear slowly speeding up his heart. It wouldn’t be the first time Pike had trouble at school since Pike was stubborn and demanded to go to a ‘regular’, public school. Pike raised his shoulders and looked away. Lance frowned as he reached across the table to grab his hand.
‘I have something to tell you.’ Pike signed slowly as he removed his hand from Lance’s. The two fathers looked at each other before nodding at him with serious faces. If this was anything that they thought it was about, they knew how hard this would be for him. Pike stood and shuffled his feet. He lifted his hands, set them on the table, and then lifted them again. He started to form signs before shaking his hands and setting them down again. Taking one last deep breath, he met their eyes and started to sign.
‘Dad, Pa’ He used the sign for ‘dad’ to refer to Lance and a shorten version of Keith’s name to call him ‘Pa’. ‘I-’ He paused. Another breath. ‘I want to learn how to talk.’ He stopped his signing to look at them. Keith nodded slightly as Lance looked as if he didn’t know which direction was up or down anymore. Pike licked his lips as he continued. ‘Well, not like ‘talk talk’, there’s just one phrase I really want to learn. It’s for something really important and I wanted to talk to you first.’ He looked down at his hands as he placed them in the table. For the first time in a long time, Pike hated the silence. Pike was startled out of his thoughts when he was pulled into a bone crushing hug. Lance held his boy tight as he tried to stop the tears. He stepped back so Pike could see him.
‘If that’s what you want, then we will support you. I just don’t want you to do something just because others say you have to or cause you feel like you don’t fit in unless you do.’ Pike nodded as he fitted himself back into his father’s embrace. As he pulled away, Lance signed ‘I love you’ before kissing his head. Keith stood up and did the same with slightly tear glazed eyes. Pike laughed his gurgle-laugh as he stepped back. He wiped away any tears as he headed to the door. He stopped before he exited, turning back to look at them.
‘One more thing,’ He signed as they looked back at him. ‘I am pansexual, but no big deal you know.’ He giggled again as he watched his Pa shake his head as Lance throw his back in laughter. Pike grinned as he scampered up the stairs, phone in hand.
-Step one complete.
He sent the message as he flopped onto his bed with a smile. Within seconds, he received a reply.
-Awesome! Part two activate!
Pike snickered to himself as he rolled over onto his stomach, phone clenched to his chest. Maybe if this whole thing worked out, he could start on another plan. One that involved a different love.
~~~
As weeks past, Pike grew more frustrated with himself. He understood that it would take a while and that it would be hard, but he didn’t think he would get stuck on a single letter sound. Mil laid on his bed, swinging their feet as they watched Pike pace his room. They slid off of the bed and onto their feet before walking over to him. Reaching up, they stopped Pike’s pacing and removed his hands from their position of tugging his hair.
‘Calm down.’ They signed as they pushed him on his bed. ‘Take a deep breath and try again.’
‘I’ve been trying!’ Pike emphasized his words with harsh movements. ‘I just can’t get it. I might as well give up.’ He huffed as he flopped onto the bed. Mil snorted as they reached for a pillow, driving it downwards onto Pike’s head. He shot up at the force of the hit, turning to see them with their hand sitting on their delicate hip. ‘How could you use my disability against me?’ Pike faked a hurt face as he watched their shoulders shake with amusement.
‘I see your dad to it to your pa all the time, and you find it funny.’ Mil replied as they sat down next to him, hugging the pillow. Mil had decided against a binder today, meaning they felt a little more feminine, but not meaning that they were still a little uncomfortable. Pike reached for the pillow with a smile and then stood in front of his small friend. He tightened his hands into fist as he moved to the mirror, determined to get this right.
~~~
Today was the day. Pike had perfected the line to the best of his abilities. He felt his palms sweat as he looked around the room. They all had gathered in Hunk’s restaurant to celebrate Lance’s birthday. Everyone chatted amongst themselves as light music played in the background. In less than five minutes, Pike was going to stand in the front of all of them and hopefully give his dad the best present ever. Feeling his phone buzz in his pocket, Pike removed it to see a text from Mil.
-Good luck! Pike smiled as his fingers slid over the screen.
-Thanks <3
-<3
A hand on his shoulder startled Pike away from the technology in his palm. Hunk smiled softly at his as he carelessly signed ‘sorry’. Pike smiled as he shook his head before meeting Hunk’s eyes.
‘Is it time?’ He asked with slight fear. Hunk nodded as he patted his back, pushing him forward.
‘Go break a leg kiddo,’ Pidge signed as he passed them. He giggled softly as he walked up the steps. The music stopped as the crowd turned towards him. Lance, Keith, and Branda were seated at the table right by the stage. Lance nudged Keith softly as he leaned over to explain something to him. As both of his parents’ gazes fell on him, Pike began to sign in big gestures, making sure everyone could see him.
‘Thank you all for coming tonight. While all the gifts have already been passed out, I have just one more.’ Pike turned to face Lance only. ‘Dad, I could never sign how grateful I am for you. You act as if it was no big deal, but you did the impossible. You put yourself aside in order to raise me the best that you could after the unimaginable happened. No matter what happened, or what you were going through, you made sure that I had the best life ever. And I could never thank you enough for that. Branda and I could never ask for a better Dad, or a better Pa.’ Pike paused to giggle slightly as Lance pushed Keith’s shoulder playfully. ‘While I could never sign anything great enough to show you how much you mean to me, I think there is another way I can.’ Pike took a deep breath as he saw Lance freeze up. Pike walked closer to the edge of the stage, where Pidge handed him a microphone. Lance gripped Keith’s arm as tears started to fall from his eyes. Pike licked his lips as he brought the mic closer to him. Clearing his throat, he locked eyes with Lance, all while sending a silent prayer that this went okay. “Dad,” Pike’s voice was rough and cracked from lack of use, but it still sounded wonderful. “I love you so much.” He spoke slowly and carefully, making sure to form the words like he was taught. He glanced down at Pidge, who gave him a thumbs up. He did good. As he looked back up, Lance was full on crying as he stumbled up the stair to Pike. Tackling him into a hug, Lance cried on his son’s shoulder as people in the audience clapped and cried. Keith stood slowly and made his way up the stage with Branda. Lance pulled away slightly to sign with clumsy hands.
‘You sounded beautiful. Thank you.’ He pulled him back into a hug as Pike gurgled with a body shaking laughter. Keith placed a hand on his back as he pulled the family into a hug.
‘I’m proud of you.’ Pike felt the tears leave his eyes as he laughed again.
~~~
After everything settled down and the Mcclain-Kogane family made it home, Pike removed his phone to see a message. Hunk had taken a video of it all and sent it to him. With a tearful smile, he thanked him before moving on to message someone else. Opening up Mil’s and his chat, he typed out a lengthy message, explaining every detail to his dear friend. Pike set his phone down, without looking for a message, knowing Mil was probably already asleep. Yet, after a few minutes, his phone’s light lit up the dark room.
-I knew you would do great :)
Part of my Klance Family AU that was established through my “Homes Don’t Have to be Perfect” fanfiction.
With Lance being a soldier, Keith learned many things throughout his life.
The first thing he learned was how strong love was. Keith knew from the moment that he met Lance that nothing could stop him from loving this man. So even after Lance informed him of his dangerous occupation, Keith held his hand and said that he would stand by Lance no matter what. Sometimes things got hard and they fought, but Keith always stayed. He could never bring himself to let Lance go. His love for the man had corrupted his soul and dug deep into his heart. It was a part of him. Therefore, when Lance stuttered through a proposal and made a fool of himself, Keith cried as he said yes. Therefore, he spent every minute of the next month rush planning a wedding. Therefore, he spent the last night of their honeymoon holding Lance close, not sleeping for he wanted to spend every last second with Lance before he left. Keith fiddled with his ring as he hugged Lance goodbye at the airport. With the promise of emails and calls, tired eyes watched the love of his life fly away to fight someone else’s war.
The second thing he learned was how fear could physically make someone sick. Keith knew what anxiety felt like, but when he was alone, it grew so much worse. He no longer had Lance to hold his hand or smooth down his hair. He was no longer afraid of crowds, instead he was afraid of losing his husband. Keith never knew how cold his blood could turn when the phone rang, or did not ring during their scheduled times. He never knew how fast his heart could fall into his stomach when there was a knock on his door. He never knew how hard his breath could leave his body when he saw someone in a suit at the dance studio. Yet, Keith found ways to avoid as much of this anxiety as he could. He got a special phone for military purposes only. He hung a mirror on the wall that faced the door so he could see who knocked before he answered. Finally, he told his job to send anyone looking for him into his personal studio, which he didn’t leave until the dance studio closed. When things would get really bad, he would drape Lance’s old coat over his slim shoulders and worry himself to sleep on Shiro’s couch, or not sleep at all.
The third thing he learned was how much it hurt to have the one person you were closest to be so far away. Whenever anything would go wrong, all he wanted as Lance. All he wanted was to have someone hold him, petting his hair down and removing the tear streaks from his cheeks. Like when Red ran away for a week or when he landed wrong and almost broke his ankle. There were plenty of times where Keith would fold in on himself and just cry, not knowing what else to do, and times were Lance’s phone calls were just him reassuring Keith that everything was going to be okay for 30 minutes. And when things were great, all he wanted was Lance. All he wanted was to rush home to tell Lance the good news, to have him spin him around in a hug and kiss him senseless as they both cheered. Like, when Keith got a huge dance role in an upcoming musical, or when he got word that they would be able to adopt when Lance returned. But this noise had to be delivered over poor reception phone calls, sometimes days after it happened, making Lance one of the last ones to know. Yet, what hurt Keith the most was knowing that there was stuff about Lance he would never be able to know and that there was stuff that he would never be able to help Lance with. No matter how hard he tried or how much he fought against the odds, there was just things he couldn’t do. He couldn’t do anything when weeks would pass without word from Lance. All he could do was watch the news and pray that he wouldn’t see Lance’s picture or hear his squad number. It didn’t matter how much he fussed, he couldn’t have been there for Lance when he was wounded and in the hospital thousands of miles away. Therefore, he would find someway to help here.
The fourth thing Keith learned was how much of an impact he could make. Since he was stuck here and his job as a dance instructor didn’t offer much to the military forces, he found other ways to help. Along with Shiro, he would visit the veterans and wounded warriors in the hospitals nearby. He would sit with them and listen to their stories. He would make mental list of books or hobbies they enjoy so he could bring them some next time he visited. He would sit in the waiting room with distraught families and offer them any form of comfort that he could. He would encourage and cheer on those whose family’s couldn’t be there. Outside of the hospital, he would work with other military families to gather or make supplies to be put into care packages that would be sent to the troops. With his job, he offered classes with military discounts and out on shows to honor the troops and raise money for veterans or military families in need. He never thought much about what he was doing. It was just something to help get his mind away from the fear and to feel as if he was being useful in someway. Yet, he didn’t hear the way the hospital bound would cheer his name when he arrived. He didn’t see the smiles that the care packages spread across the bases. He could never fathom how many lives he helped with the raised money, or how many people used his dance classes as a form to express their pent up emotions. He didn’t know how far his name would travel or how many committed it to memory in order to thank him later on. To him, what he was doing was small deeds, but to others it was as if he was performing miracles and changing the world.
The fifth thing Keith learned was how powerful pure joy could be. He spent every night of Lance’s deployment dreaming of the day Lance would return. He felt his heart slowly break with each day that Lance did not inform him of his return date. When he would bring it up, Lance would sigh before whispering “They haven’t told me yet. It keeps getting moved around.” Twelve months into the fourteen month deployment, Keith got up as if it was just another normal day. Unknown to him, Shiro had gotten up five hours before him to go sit at the airport to retrieve a very special ‘package’ for him. Keith slipped on his white crop top, red legging, and black flats before heading to the studio. He had five classes and his own rehearsal to do today. Halfway through his pop dance class, the door opened and Shiro poked his head him. He waved to Keith, who nodded at him through the mirrors before going back to showing the class the routine. Keith raised his arms over his head, crossing them at the wrist, before dropping down into a squat. As he did so, smooth hands grazed over his sides up to his hands before spinning him as they pulled him up. Keith forgot how to breath as he meet ocean blue eyes. Tears started to form as the music faded from his consciousness, tan hands drifting to cradle his face.
“Hey, babe.” Lance whispered softly as Keith bit into his lower lip. Choking on a sob, Keith launched himself at Lance, slinging his arms around the taller man’s neck. Tears stained Lance’s military jacket as Keith cried and babbled about how Lance should of told him that he was coming home. Lance tightened his arms around Keith’s waist. “They cut our tour short and I thought it would be a nice surprise to just show up here. If you want to be mad, make sure you save some anger for Shiro too, because he helped.” Keith glared at Shiro from over Lance’s shoulder, only to see the smirking man holding his phone, recording the moment. After the class ended, Lance grabbed Keith’s hand and started to pull him out of the studio.
“Wait! I still have another class and then rehearsal.” Keith pulled them to a stop. Lance leaned over and kissed the top of Keith’s head.
“I already took care of all of that. You are excused from rehearsal and a co-worker is filling in for you. Right now, I just want to go home, lock the doors, and spend every second of the day with my husband.” Lance smiled as Keith blushed. Pulling himself onto his toes with Lance’s shoulders, Keith kissed Lance softly, pouring all of his love into the kiss. Lance tore Keith’s hair from the ponytail he had it in and buried his fingers in the long, black locks. Keith pulled away licking his lips. Locking his fingers behind Lance’s neck, he whispered into his ear.
“Let’s go home.”
Out of all of the things he learned, Keith taught Lance probably the most important lesson about military life. Keith laid on the bed, tracing his fingers along Lance’s bare skin, making made-up constellations out of fading love bites and scars that littered Lance’s torso. Lance hummed contently as he ran his fingers through Keith’s hair. He sighed heavily as he rolled over and pulled Keith into a hug. Keith dug his fingers into Lance’s shoulders as he kissed the side of his neck. He nuzzled the other man softly before pushing him back a little. Worry pulled on Keith’s brow as he took in Lance’s tired, red eyes and dark bags. He pushed his lips out into a pout as he traced the bruising on tan skin.
“I wish you would talk to me.” He whispered sadly. Lance looked up at him, confused.
“I do talk to you.” Keith shook his head at him.
“Not that. I mean about you not sleeping and whatever is bothering you. I notice things, Lance. Especially when they are about you.” He scooted forward to hid his face in Lance’s collar. “You’re here, but it feels as if you are still away. I get that there are things that I will never understand, but I can try. Let me help, please.” His voice broke as Lance pulled him closer. He felt Lance sigh.
“Nightmares. I have nightmares sometimes about what happened over there. I didn’t want to worry you. I know you already have a lot on your plate with your work and trying to get everything ready for the adoption, and I didn’t want to add to it.” Keith hit him slightly as he sniffled.
“You always come first idiot. There’s nothing you can do to make me hate you or be scared of you. While you were gone, I did a lot of work with the military families here and also with the wounded warriors. I’ve seen things and heard stories. I may not be an expert, but I can help you. And if I can’t, we can find someone who can.” Lance laughed slightly as he petted Keith’s head.
“I know how much work you did. People talk over there. I heard stories about what you were doing through others, and I even had some people come up to me to have me tell you thank you. One thing about the military is word travels fast. You were like a hero to them, Keith. And I felt that if I came home broken, it would make me less than you, cause you were doing so much good here and I could barely keep myself sane over there.” Keith stopped him with a soft kiss.
“You were doing things that I could never dream of. You put your life on the line for people you don’t even know. All I was doing was giving up a bit of my free time. I wasn’t even doing it for them. I needed to do something to keep my mind off of the fact that you could end up hurt or worse. My anxiety was driving me crazy. I had to do something that made me feel like I was important. I just happened to help people along the way.” Lance chuckled softly as he kissed Keith. Pulling him closer, Lance set his chin on Keith’s head.
“I guess we are a bit more broken than we thought we were.” Keith nodded as he entangled their fingers.
“That may be true, but at least we are together.” As Keith dozed off, Lance felt his heart start to beat again, this time without such a great pain. While he learned many things from his time as a soldier, he was taught by a sleepy husband that no matter what happened, he was never alone.
They all knew this day would come. It was only a matter of time. Keith messed with his tie once more as a hand landed on his shoulder.
“Hey.” The voice was soft and comforting before it broke into a barking laugh. “You look more nervous than I do.” Shiro smirked as he ruffled Keith’s hair. Glaring at him, Keith flatten his hair back down.
“I’m not good with crowds, or people, or being in the spotlight.” He huffed as he glanced back at Shiro. Shiro stood tall in his tailored-to-fit black suit. He meet Keith’s gaze as he sighed.
“I know I’m asking a lot of you today, but I promise it’s a very small wedding and all you have to do is stand up there by my side.” He patted Keith’s back. “You don’t even have to speak. Just don’t trip down the aisle.” Shiro barked out another laugh as Keith threw his hairbrush at him.
“Come on.” He growled under his breath as he forced Shiro out of the dressing room. As the neared the door to enter the sanctuary, Shiro turned and pulled Keith into a hug.
“But really, thank you.” Shiro whispered. Keith sighed softly as he hugged Shiro back.
“It’s nothing. Now, let’s go get you hitched.” Keith smiled up at him. Keith pushed open the door for Shiro to walk through. They situated themselves up by the left side of the altar by the clergy, who greeted Shiro. Keith glanced to his right, seeing Lance talking to some relative of Shiro’s. Lance grinned when he caught sight of Keith, winking at him as he waved. He stifled a giggle and he waved back. As he turned to face Shiro again, music filled the air as the back doors opened. Keith heard Shiro take in a deep breath. The first person down the aisle was Pike who was tossing white, silk rose petals onto the carpet. Following alongside the now toddler was Black, who had the rings tied to his collar. Pike smiled up at Keith, who signed ‘come’ to him. Pike finished tossing the petals before running to Keith, who hauled him up into his arms. Pike waved over Keith’s shoulder to Lance, who had a soft smile on his face and a few tears in his eyes. Keith laughed to himself, shaking his head at how sentimental Lance could be. Next came Pidge, dressed in a suit that had a long flowing skirt instead of pants. They took their spot parallel to Keith as the music faded out and switched to a different track. As the first few notes filled the air, everyone stood and turned towards the back. Matt, dressed in a white suit that was similar in design to Shiro’s, slowly emerged from the doorway. Keith glanced at Shiro to see him with tears in his eyes and his mouth hanging open. Keith gave him a minute before whispering, “You’re drooling.” Shiro shot him a glare before stepping down to grab Matt’s hand. Shiro leaned forward and kissed Matt’s cheek before leading to the alter. They held hands as they turned to face the clergy.
“Dearly beloved…”
After the ceremony ended, everyone migrate to the nearby hotel for the reception. Chairs, tables, a buffet, a open bar, and even a dance floor were set up in a side room for the celebration. As people came forward to congratulate Shiro and Matt, Keith slipped away to find Lance. Pike still rested on his hip and was playing peacefully with his hair.
Suddenly, Pike started to slap Keith’s shoulder. Pike held his hand up and tapped his forehead with his thumb before pointing to Keith’s far left. Turning to see where Pike was pointing, Keith was met with the breathtaking imagine of Lance in his suit, leaning across the table to shakes hands with someone. Keith bit his lip and he bounced Pike up his hip before he started to make his way to his boyfriend. Pike tapped Keith’s shoulder as pointed down. Keith slowly lowered him to the ground, making sure he was stable before releasing him. Pike ran the last few feet to Lance, grabbing onto his leg. Lance let out a little squeak as he settled his hand on Pike’s head. Lance smiled down at him before turning back to the people he was previously talking to. Keith let a soft smile pull his lips upwards as he wrapped an arm around Lance’s waist. Lance kept talking but returned the action with a slight grin.
When the people bidded the couple goodbye, Lance turned to Keith and kissed him. Pike stuck his tongue out as he signed ‘gross’, a reaction Pidge had taught him. Lance gasped before picking Pike up and kissing his face. Pike let out his gurgle giggle as he struggled to get out of Lance’s grasp. When Lance finally stopped, Pike settled on his hip, sticking his thumb in his mouth. Making a face, Lance tried to stop him, but only ended with Pike making a fuss. He sighed before letting Pike continue. He didn’t want to cause a scene.
As night grew closer, a few people left, making the crowd more suitable for Keith. Until just recently, he and Lance had kept to their little table in the back, enjoying their downtime together. Yet, after a few drinks were passed their way, Lance had pulled Keith up and to the dance floor, leaving Pike with Pidge. Lance wrapped his lanky arms around Keith’s waist and leaned his head on his shoulder. Lance hummed along to the slow beat song as they swayed. Keith reached up and threaded his fingers into Lance’s hair. Humming in thought, he turned his head to let his lips touch Lance’s ear.
“We might have to get your hair cut soon before we both have mullets.” He chuckled softly as Lance pinched his side. He let his head fall onto Lance’s as he pulled him closer. They danced like that until almost everyone was gone. Pidge and Allura had stopped by at some point and time, saying that they were taking Pike up to their room for he had fallen asleep on Allura’s lap. With Lance still leaning on Keith, they bidded the newly married couple goodbye before heading up to their own room. Lance lazily kissed at Keith’s neck as Keith fumbled with the hotel room key. As they slipped into the room, Keith lowered Lance onto the bed, helping him remove his suit before stripping himself down to his own boxers. He slipped them both under the covers and turned off the bedside lamp. Lance slid up behind him, nuzzling his chin against Keith’s shoulder. Humming, he wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist, pulling him close.
“Maybe one day we can do that.” Lance whispered as he dosed off. Keith smiled as he threaded his fingers in between Lance’s,
“Maybe we will.” He whispered, falling asleep to Lance’s light snores.
Continuation from my “Homes Don’t Have to Be Perfect” fanfiction
